Concluding with a set of three beautifully nerdy stanzas, this poem expresses a man's temporary farewell to his lover as he embarks on a journey. The speaker builds up to his final farewell by explaining to his lover that their love stands superior to that of ordinary people. Unlike common "sublunary lovers' love", his love can handle a lover's absence as it is not based purely on physicality (Donne 802). Rather, his love is "so much refined" that he says to his lover, "Our two souls . . . are one," (Donne 802). To illustrate this incredible connection, he compares it, through simile, to the behavior of compass legs. My inner geek loves this comparison as it perfectly describes a bond between two lovers' souls by drawing upon a tool used in mathematics. According to the speaker, his lover's soul functions as the stabilizing compass leg. On an actual compass, this leg ensures that the drawing leg follows a perfect circular path and returns to its starting point. It also leans toward the drawing leg, staying as close to it as possible, as the drawing leg moves farther away. Likewise, his lover's soul will serve as his guide, maintaining his course on the journey, until he returns home. Furthermore, when the speaker is traveling, his lover's soul will yearn for his, but will still be able to handle the absence as the bond between their souls is sturdy.
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